Chapter 15

San Luo paused to size up Mrs. Li. She finally understood where Shen Jin’s sharp tongue came from.

She had never encountered anyone so insolent before. Years of cultivating herself in the mountains had not prepared her for such brazenness.

Her eyebrows twitched; before she could decide whether to retort, Shen Jin suddenly appeared beside Mrs. Li.

“Mother, she’s not asking for food. She brought half a bowl of fish to Granny Chen—I saw it!” Shen Jin added, “Mother, I want to eat fish too.”

A smug, mocking expression froze on Mrs. Li’s face. She pursed her lips and slowly turned her gaze icy, words slipping out between clenched teeth:

“Ingrates who don’t appreciate their benefactors.”

Each word dripped with disdain, spoken deliberately.

Shen Jin mimicked her, sticking out his tongue and repeating, “Ingrate!”

San Luo’s expression hardened as her eyes flicked between Mrs. Li and her son before locking onto Mrs. Li’s cold stare.

“Auntie, you’d do well to watch your words. I heard that Shen Lie went to the battlefield at sixteen in place of Uncle. When you say such things, perhaps you should think—if it had been Uncle who died, the one in a precarious situation now would be you.”

San Luo gave a mock pat to her forehead. “Oh, right. I forgot that the villagers say Shen Lie was a good man. Surely, if Uncle had died on the battlefield, he wouldn’t have done something as cruel as kicking Auntie and those cousins out with nothing. Isn’t that so, Auntie?”

Mrs. Li’s hair seemed about to stand on end. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at San Luo. “Who are you cursing to die? How dare you disrespect your elders! So you think all the grain we fed your family these past months went into the dogs’ stomachs?”

San Luo smiled slyly. “Look at you, Auntie. I’m merely stating facts. Just listening to you, you can’t stand it, can you? What about Xiao An and Ah Ning’s elder brother, whose life was risked and then abandoned by Uncle and Auntie? Who do they turn to for justice?”

“Listen to your own words: one moment we’re begging, the next we’re ungrateful wolves. I’d like to honor you as an elder, but do you behave like one?”

Her voice rang clear and precise, and before long, curious neighbors began peeking out to watch the commotion.

Mrs. Li was left speechless, her face swollen like a pig’s liver. Her trembling finger jabbed at San Luo twice before she suddenly covered her face and wailed, “This is truly ingratitude! We raised the three children of the eldest branch for so many years, but instead of gratitude, we’ve only bred resentment?”

The noise drew Shen San out from the house. Seeing neighbors peeking from all sides, he clenched his fists to restrain his anger and barked, “What’s all this racket so early in the morning?”

He turned to San Luo. “San Shi, your Auntie took pity on you when you fled here and gave you shelter. Shouldn’t you be at least a little grateful? Show some respect, at least.”

What a fine way to lay blame.

San Luo had grown up without parents in an orphanage, hardly a place of peace and joy. She was no pushover, and upon hearing this, she sneered, “Uncle, don’t use this to pressure me. Auntie exchanged half a sack of grain just to bring me back to be Shen Lie’s wife. Everyone in the village knows what’s really on her mind.”

“As for gratitude, if Auntie truly gave me a lifeline, I would be eternally thankful and repay it with all my heart.”

“But since arriving at Shili Village, everyone has seen the situation clearly. Just a few nights ago, I nearly starved to death in the mountains. Xiao An begged for grain in the middle of the night, but you and Auntie pretended not to hear. I’m not blaming you—this was what Xiao Jin told me yesterday. If it weren’t for Grandpa and Granny Chen’s kindness in sneaking food to me that night, I, San Luo, would now be reunited underground with my lost parents, brothers, and a husband I’ve never even met.”

“So please, Auntie and Uncle, don’t wave the flag of gratitude in my face anymore.”

Shen San and Mrs. Li had never heard such sharp words from San Shi. They were dumbfounded.

Mrs. Li recovered faster, spat at San Luo, and snapped, “Sharp tongue! My husband and I won’t argue with you! But no family has to feed a branch that split off forever. Once you separate, you stand on your own. How can we be blamed? Should we be indebted to you?”

San Luo refused to take that blame. “That depends on how the family splits. No land, no fields, just an untouched mountain. I’d need miraculous skills to feed three mouths. Look around the village—who divides their family like this? Two small sacks of grain—is that supposed to support me, Xiao An, and Ah Ning until we can afford to buy land and grow crops?”

“Yes, we’re the younger generation. If you say the property was all accumulated by you with nothing owed to us, except for the two mountain plots the government gave for free when we registered, one of which should belong to the eldest branch, I have no complaints. But calling me a beggar and an ungrateful wolf is unreasonable! I was starving. Even if Xiao An begged for me, his useless sister-in-law, in the middle of the night, would he have been able to open your door?”

“If you can heartlessly ignore the survival of the younger generation, then don’t pretend to be the elder. Once the family is split, the least we owe each other is basic respect when we meet. Isn’t that right?”

Her voice rose, ending with a direct question to the neighbors. Shen San and Mrs. Li looked around, seeing everyone at their door watching the drama and whispering.

Though Shen San couldn’t catch every word, he knew it wasn’t good.

A lump rose in his throat, ears buzzing, nearly choking him.

Old Granny Chen came out, having overheard the entire exchange. She had endured this couple’s disputes for months, thinking it was none of her business, and kept silent.

But hearing Mrs. Li call San Luo a beggar and ungrateful wolf, she could hold back no longer.

“Enough, Shen San. Our families fled together and became neighbors. As an old woman, I must say some things shouldn’t be taken too far. Let’s not forget, your eldest brother was beaten to death protecting your grain and water. Xiao An’s mother couldn’t bear the blow and left with him. You two survived only because of your brother’s protection. Admit that.”

“Not to mention, you changed Ah Lie’s name so he would take your place on the battlefield. Everyone in the village knows that.”

“So from now on, regarding Xiao An, Ah Ning, and Ah Lie’s wife, you two should check your conscience before acting. Think about whether you can live with yourselves, and if you dare to face your brother’s wife and nephew in the afterlife.”

Shen San and Mrs. Li’s faces turned through a spectrum of colors—from red to black, white to green, then purple—spectacularly expressive.

In the end, Shen San’s face swelled to the color of pig’s liver.

He still dared to assert his authority over San Luo, but before Old Granny Chen, who knew their family’s history, he could find no defense. He threw up his hands, dragged his wife and son inside, and slammed the courtyard gate with a heavy bang.

San Luo smirked, unaffected by the door slam.

Old Granny Chen, however, watched the gate slam, then strode over to San Luo, pulling her toward her own yard and glaring at her with disdain.

“Are you crazy? No matter how rotten they are, their seniority crushes you completely. You argue with them like this—don’t you care about your reputation?”